Sirjulius Swain has been a handful for his mother, Dennise Wallace, from the start. The word “no” could send him into a rage. Wallace turned to a Pinellas agency that helps families deal with young children’s emotional and behavioral issues, and says it has made a big difference. “It’s a true blessing how far he’s come,” she says.

Before she had her fifth child, Dennise Wallace thought she knew everything there was to know about parenting.

"I cried and cried," said Wallace, 34, a certified nursing assistant from St. Petersburg. "I was ready to pull my hair out. It was causing a tremendous amount of stress for the whole family."

Still, she treasured his sweet side, his outgoing personality and his intellect. Even at his worst, she always has had high hopes for her child.

"I just needed to find a way to turn things around," she said.

She sought the help of Coordinated Child Care of Pinellas Inc., a nonprofit corporation that provides child care scholarships, resources and supportive services for families with young children.

One of their programs, Project Challenge, is geared toward preschoolers like Sirjulius who have emotional and behavioral challenges. Funded by the Juvenile Welfare Board, it was developed in 1984 because children were being expelled from child care settings because of behavior issues.

Spokeswoman Lisa Hughes said the goal is to provide children, their parents and child care providers with positive strategies so the little ones can experience success in school, home or other environments.

Reaching children early is crucial.

"Between birth and age 3, a child's brain grows at a phenomenal rate. Neurons are making connections that will serve as the basis for how they function in the world for the rest of their lives," she said. "The earlier you address the social and emotional concerns, the easier it is to change the behavior."

Liz Dixon is the child and family consultant who has worked with Sirjulius, who is now 5, for two years.

"He's doing good," she said. "He has switched schools and his behavior has improved tremendously."

She began by using "feeling faces," flash cards depicting a variety of facial expressions. They helped Sirjulius recognize what was brewing inside him, like anger, frustration or embarrassment.

"He learned that it was okay to have those emotions, but that it was not all right to take it out on others," she said.

Sirjulius can now handle his emotions by using the calming techniques he has learned, like deep breathing, singing or marching around a room.

Or he may go find the ball he squeezes when he feels like lashing out.

Dixon also worked with his mother, teaching her how to minimize using the word "no'' and other negative commands.